


It Starts With a Train

by HelloHeadquarters



Series: Cryptage Week 2020 [1]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Cryptageweek, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26697346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloHeadquarters/pseuds/HelloHeadquarters
Summary: It's Cryptage Week!First Prompt is 'train'. Hope y'all remembered to floss this morning because this will give you cavities.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Series: Cryptage Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942780
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	It Starts With a Train

**Author's Note:**

> Written for #cryptageweek, a week of prompts meant to inspire creators of all kinds to come together and celebrate these two Legends. 
> 
> Check out @Cryptageweek on Twitter and cryptageweek on Tumblr for details!
> 
> First up: TRAIN

A lot can happen in a year. No one knew that better than Tae Joon Park, who twelve months ago had been launched from a train in a fiery explosion with the man who was currently ripping off his underwear. Perhaps he should have been concentrating on the task at hand as Elliott's tongue sharply brought everything back into focus and with a soft gasp the fact that he had spotted a calendar over Elliott's sweat-sheened, well muscled shoulder was driven from his mind. 

Elliott ran a hand up his side, his callused fingertips drawing a shiver of excitement from Tae Joon as he tried his best to touch, to kiss Elliott and taste him with an almost feverish desire because _this_ was something incredible, something he had never known he needed until he had it and now he knew it was something he could never live without. 

Not just the way Elliott tore feelings of rapture from him with just a touch, but everything. Elliott made him feel things he was certain he had forgotten how to feel, ecstasy and love and desire and need. He'd fallen for Elliott so secretly he hadn't even realised until the tension broke like a dam one night a few months before and they had become passionately entangled on Elliott's bed on the back of a stupid argument that Tae Joon could no longer remember the cause of.

It had taken him by surprise to say to the least. There had been something about Elliott since day one, a tightness in his chest that he had attributed to all the wrong feelings until Elliott had snatched his shirt in his fists and Tae Joon had realised that it was never anger he felt as he pressed his lips to Elliott hard enough to bruise.

In the morning he had tried to leave, the scent of Elliott on his skin overwhelming him as he gathered up his clothes, feeling somehow wrong and dirty and ashamed. He had almost made it to the door when Elliott had stopped him with a hand on his arm and a soft whisper of "Please, don't go."

He couldn't understand. He had spent so long hating so many things, and now suddenly he was faced with a brand new kind of agony. He wanted to dismiss it, he wanted to pretend that it had just been a one time thing, a way to work out the tension that lived in his chest like a parasite but the damn fucking truth was that Elliott had become a comfort to him without either his permission or notice. His whole world was one of fear and terror and rage, but for a few moments when they existed in the same spaces, Tae Joon had something else, something new and not so scary, and he traded barbs with Elliott because it made him feel something different. It made him feel real again, like he was something to someone, and hadn't even noticed how his feelings had altered and changed until he and Elliott had fallen against each other, crazed with a desire that he hadn't even realised was there. 

He felt Elliott's fingers bite gently into his hips and gasped out his name, lost in the moment as Elliott moved above him, their lips meeting against the rhythm. Elliott praised him and worshipped him while he himself could barely speak, lost beneath Elliott's hands, his touch and his desire. Elliott spoke to him like he was something wonderful, and he realised all over again that he wasn't just some means to an end for Elliott. He needed Elliott, he'd stopped denying that long ago, but it had taken him far too long to admit that Elliott needed him, too. That Elliott cared for him, desired him and maybe even loved him, even if they hadn't quite managed to-

"God I love you so much Tae," Elliott gasped as he became overcome, moving faster and more erratically as he edged closer and closer. "I love you so much."

Tae Joon had already lost the ability to speak beneath Elliott, but at those words he broke completely, and all he could do was let out a strangled sort of sob as he came, holding Elliott as tightly against him as he was able, desperately wishing he wasn't so afraid to say it back.

He tried, but the words wouldn't come. The worst part was that it wasn't a lie; he loved Elliott so much it scared him, but admitting it was just letting himself have another reason to be terrified, and he wasn't ready for that. Instead he held Elliott close as they came down together, hoping against everything that Elliott somehow knew the truth.

-

Tae Joon could tell that it bothered Elliott. He could see the faintest hint of regret and shame as they cleaned themselves up, and though he knew Elliott would never try to take it back he was clearly wishing he had never said it in the first place. Perhaps that kind of vulnerability was hard for them both, but Elliott was softer than Tae Joon, had always worn his heart on his sleeve because he needed people to know he was open to love, given but mostly received. Tae Joon had _always_ been aware of that particular part of Elliott, a part that perhaps he was not so proud of but was still a part of him nonetheless. 

He wanted so badly to fill that need for Elliott, to tell him unrelentingly how wonderful he was, but it was as though there were a dam in his mind, a wall that made him keep his mouth shut instead of singing Elliott's praises. He hated that wall, resented it because it meant that Elliott might feel less that what he was, and it hurt him to even think that. He never wanted to be the reason that Elliott was unhappy.

Elliott had seemed awkward in the morning, and Tae Joon followed him with his eyes as he got up and dressed while avoiding Tae Joon's gaze, his voice a cheerful promise of coffee and breakfast foods but Tae Joon knew him well enough to notice the way his tone lacked it's usual swagger.

Tae Joon was left alone, sitting up in Elliott's bed and feeling like shit. He knew that he was often guilty of taking more than he gave when it came to their relationship, but as his eyes shifted to the calendar once again he felt a resolve stiffen within himself to do better. Perhaps his own circumstances meant that he could never proclaim his love for Elliott for all the world to see, but damn it all if he couldn't at least _try_ to shout it loud enough for Elliott alone. 

He all but leapt out of the bed and dressed quickly, ignoring the fact that he was in desperate need of a shower after the previous nights activities, and made it to the door just as Elliott returned.

He took the coffee out of Elliott's hands and pressed a slow kiss to the other man before excusing himself, citing urgent business because he had a plan, and lingering around Elliott was always counter productive when it came to getting work done.

He went back to his room and tried to tell himself that if Elliott was a little bit put out right now, it would all be worth it in a little while.

-

An hour or so later, he took a deep breath before returning to Elliott's room and knocking on the door. When it opened, the man on the other side had a slight despondency about him, but Tae Joon smiled softly and held out his hand. 

"I want to show you something," he said warmly.

Elliott seemed a little surprised but didn't resist when Tae Joon took him by the hand and led him to the doors of the complex. There was a car waiting, driven by someone who addressed Tae Joon by the fake name he used in the Games, before dropping them off at a seedy little transport depot. Tae Joon was trying to be coy, shooting down Elliott's questions with a wait and see as they boarded a small cargo ship, and he had no choice but to shut him up by straddling his lap and kissing him ferociously as the ship took off to their destination, not that Tae Joon was complaining. The MRVN flying the ship at least had no comment to make as Tae Joon perhaps took things a little too far, as by the time they landed both men were worked up, sweating messes.

"Tae," Elliott whined as the hacker grabbed his hand and dragged him from the ship. 

"Just... please," Tae Joon implored.

They emerged to find themselves in the arena at World's Edge, and Tae Joon was almost giddy with excitement. He had expected to feel self conscious and awkward, but instead he was just bursting with happiness as he led Elliott through the deserted arena.

"Where are we going?" Elliott asked with a laugh. 

"Hold on," Tae Joon said maddeningly.

They were close to the Epicentre, just a little further out towards the green fields that bordered the Refinery. Tae Joon led Elliott down a steep valley in silence, towards the empty train tracks. 

"This way," he said as they reached a tunnel.

In the wake of the new season, the train itself had been dismantled, but Tae Joon knew exactly where he was going as they stomped through the half-light, footsteps echoing all around them.

Tae Joon took Elliott to a train car askew and abandoned at the side of the tracks and gently ushered him inside. 

The roof was strewn with soft, golden lights, and on the floor of the car a blanket had been spread out. Comfy looking cushions had been scattered here and there, and there was a small basket packed with food and wine. 

"Happy anniversary," Tae Joon said timidly.

Elliott looked around the car in awe. After a little while, he seemed to find his voice again. "Its our anniversary?" he said in a quiet tone.

Tae Joon shrugged. "Well, no. And it was yesterday. The day we met." He looked around, a little lost but when he finally managed to look at Elliott again, the man had a soft smile on his face.

"Aw, and you... you brought me to a busted up old train carriage to celebrate?"

Tae Joon rolled his eyes playfully. "Come here," he said, pulling Elliott just outside of the car. "Look." He motioned to a spot just beside the doorway.

There was a small burn mark against the steel, the kind that comes from a charge rifle. 

Elliott looked at it for a moment, before his expression cleared. "This is where you saved me."

Tae Joon nodded. The rest of the carriage had been fixed up after the match - it was as if Anita's artillery had never even touched the thing, but that one small spot had been overlooked. "This is where I... where I think I first realised there was something about you," he said shyly. "I was terrified the whole time, pretending to be better at this whole thing that I felt I really was and you... you had a weapon in your hand but it never occurred to you to aim back at me, even when you thought I was going to shoot you." Tae Joon laughed. "It had been too long since someone was willing to give me a chance, but you did that day. Even when, well, after everything, you were the last person I could have expected it from." 

Elliott looked a little embarrassed. "I was just trying to look better than you," he confessed. "Not too brave right at the end there."

Tae Joon pulled his shoulders tight and walked closer to Elliott. "You tried to reason with someone who you thought was trying to hurt you when you could have just hurt me back," he said plainly. "Seems pretty brave to me. Stupid too, but also brave."

Elliott gave him a sad smile. "Honestly, it didn't even occur to me," he said bitterly.

Tae Joon raised an eyebrow at him. "Exactly," he said, before kissing him softly. 

-

Tae Joon still held a tight feeling of discomfort in his chest even as Elliott sat down in the cosy looking carriage and motioned to him to sit next to him. He still hadn't said the words he had meant to say, hadn't quite managed to force them past the lump in his throat as Elliott pulled him in close and kissed his temple gently. 

"You didn't have to do all this," Elliott said as he gave him a tight squeeze. He knew that this sort of thing was difficult for Tae Joon, this sort of open vulnerability, and he had never once seemed to take it personally. That didn't mean that Tae Joon was alright with it, however, and for all he couldn't seem to find the words inside of himself he knew without a doubt that Elliott deserved the world. 

They sat and Elliott made jokes and they ate and laughed and it was, well, nice and cosy, and even when it started to rain outside that only seemed to make it more intimate. Hours passed but neither man seemed to be growing tired of their surroundings. They exchanged kisses and held each other, but it didn't seem vital to either of them to repeat last night's performance at all. 

Tae Joon pulled out his laptop and they watched a cheesy horror movie together, but even before the first teen had met their grisly death at the edge of the lake Elliott was already slumped against Tae Joon's shoulder, fast asleep. 

Tae Joon shifted a little, not to wake Elliott but to ensure he wouldn't begin to ache too soon. He watched the rest of the movie in peace, finding it to be predictable nonsense as usual but when the credits began to roll Elliott still hadn't stirred.

He craned his neck to look at him. He seemed untroubled, and beautiful and Tae Joon almost wished they could stay where they were forever.

Elliott let out a gentle snore and Tae Joon felt suddenly fierce with how much he loved Elliott. He took a deep breath.

"This train was where I first began to fall in love with you, I think," he began quietly. "I wanted to protect you, I didn't even know why. I'm not an idiot, it wasn't love at first sight. But I'd seen you through a lens for so long, brave and loud... it hurt me to see you afraid. Afraid of me. I never wanted to make anyone feel that way." He smiled to himself. "That wink? That was me wondering what _you_ would do to make it right. To make it better. That was where it all started, here, on this train."

Tae Joon gave a weary sigh. "I wasn't supposed to do this, Witt. I wasn't supposed to find you. Not yet. Not now."

"And now I don't think I could live without you."

"Perhaps this was the only way, the only time. Hidden amongst the nightmares, the shadows. You and me and this, against the world. The point is that no matter how difficult this all may seem sometimes, no matter how often we have to hide, from the rain, from the world, it doesn't matter, because you saved me that day Elliott, even if we both thought I was saving you."

"And I... I love you. All the time."

-

They both woke a few hours later, roused by both the pounding rain and their own discomfort. It was the middle of the night, and Tae Joon told Elliott that there wouldn't be transport ready to take them home until the morning. 

They rearranged themselves into more comfortable positions, still fogged with sleep, but it wasn't long before lazy kisses and wandering hands dissolved into something more, and they fell asleep spent and happy in each other's arms until the sun woke them.

-

If Elliott ever heard Tae Joon's romantic confession, he didn't let on. Tae Joon had to believe he hadn't though, as one day when they were hanging out in Tae Joon's room, Elliott began to say he loved him for some off the cuff reason and stopped himself.

Tae Joon frowned at him, and as Elliott turned away and tried to talk over his own words he gently guided him back to face him with his hands, one on his shoulder and the other tangling synthetic fingertips amongst the curls and kissed him.

"I love you, Elliott Witt," he said, without looking away and with every word laced with meaning. 

Elliott beamed. "Yeah, well, of course you do," he said, before kissing Tae Joon again. "What's not to love?"


End file.
